"She's not been to Latitude before. I've spoken to her, she's very happy, she's p***** off about the abuse from the Twitter cranks.

"There's certainly a section of the audience she very much appeals to - she's worthy of any stage."

Albarn has been granted an extra 15 minutes for his headline set so a "well-known friend" can join him on stage. Mr Benn refused to comment on who this mystery guest may be.

About 35,000 people are expected to arrive at the arts and music event this weekend as temperatures approach 28C (82.4F).

Latitude is renowned as the most middle-class event on the UK festival circuit and there has been no attempt to play down that reputation.

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The event reinforced those credentials by adding morning yoga classes, a knitting circle and an olive bar to the usual eclectic line-up of ballet, literature discussions and performances by the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Other highlights of the day's line-up include Editors, Billy Bragg and Crystal Fighters.

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